This will, indeed, rock you.

Last night was my first trip to the theatre in longer than I care to think about. This hiatus from theatre-going has been due largely to a) lack of funds and b) lack of theatre (I lived in Michigan for nine months, it isn't exactly a hot spot for theatrical production). So I ventured out last night with a very cool friend of my mother--The Sludge--to see We Will Rock You at the Panasonic Theatre in Toronto.


Now, this show isn't exactly high art, which is apparent in the fact that you can bring your intermission beer to your seat with you in a plastic cup, but I like Queen's music so I was willing to give it a shot. And I went in more or less knowing what to expect: We Will Rock You was in the West End when I was in London and my friends used to second act it on a semi-regular basis. We won't even go into the ethics of second acting. I only mention it to explain that I already had a good idea of the premise. Which is far fetched. And kitschy. But, in fairness, it does lead to some funny moments.

Set 300 odd years in the future, the global corporation running the world has banned music, namely rock and roll. Think Brave New World and 1984. Probably more Brave New World. Anyway, there are rebels, of course, called Bohemians, who oppose the corporation's rule. They are only waiting for their leader to fulfill a prophecy and overthrow their oppressors. Enter Galileo Figaro (the names are totally hilarious and ridiculous all around), the one they've been waiting for. He dreams of music and frequently spouts lyrics from old songs. I'm sure you can more or less imagine where it goes from here...The funny is all in the cultural references and double entendres that arise out of the mish mash of lyrics and names that form much of the dialogue--the main Bohemian before Galileo shows up is a big guy named Hillary Duff. You get the idea...

Overall, it isn't really a great show. The choreography is stiff, the staging is perhaps the worst I've ever seen outside a high school auditorium, the video screens that form much of the set get old and are rarely used in an interesting or innovative way, and almost none of the costumes are good. This all being said, there are some golden moments. Everyone has a good voice and there is really something endearing about the performance of Erica Peck, who dropped out of Sheridan College's Musical Theatre Program to take the part. And Jack Langedijk pretty much steals the show around the end of the second act. Plus, they've rewritten much of the show to include Canadian cultural references--including a shout out to Maple Leaf Gardens.


I think it's worth seeing--it is fun. But here's the catch: I wouldn't pay regular price for a ticket. I am all for supporting our local artists and the cast is, I believe, all Canadian. But in the current economy, you'd be nuts to pay full price to go see this. Fortunately, our dear friends at Mirvish have some good promotions happening. Namely, $20 Tuesdays. Every ticket in the house is $20 on Tuesdays. Failing that, rush tickets day of are about the same. So if you need some fun and you like Queen, drop the $20 and check it out.